Slashdot is arguably one of the world’s most famous websites. As a provider of news for nerds and the intellectual set, Australia doesn’t rate a mention very often, but we got a mention with this:

Australian Farmers Told To Dynamite Rabbits

The South Australian Environment Department has told farmers that they should use poison gas or even explosives to deal with the out-of-control rabbit population. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization Invasive Animals chief Professor Tony Peacock, owner of the largest business card ever, says that blowing up rabbits isn’t as inhuman as people might think, and has been ranked by the RSPCA as one of the best ways to destroy warrens.

Honestly. This is the animal welfare equivalent of a ‘Hey, Hey It’s Saturday’ skit.

See also: Cute kids, fluffy bunnies and sports stars

When I say it, please understand it’s wild speculation. When they say it; there’s you know, science and shit.

Major cruelty to myna pests

They’re territorial pests who threaten native wildlife, but Indian myna birds are being shot, electrocuted and tortured by those who refuse to use baited traps.

More than 100,000 Indian mynas have been killed using a legal, do-it-yourself trap and several NSW councils have introduced eradication programs.

But the RSPCA is concerned about cruelty to the introduced species by those using weapons such as air rifles, poisons and other unsanctioned methods to kill them.

It has warned that those destroying and disposing of the birds illegally could face heavy fines or jail time.

Several people on an online forum offered “simple” suggestions to eradicate mynas.

“I have shot, poisoned, trapped and electrocuted them, but the most effective way is to shoot them with an accurate air rifle,” one user said.

Another posted: “An excellent result was achieved by sprinkling dog food with an aphid poison. They’re dead within minutes.”

Birds caught in legal traps are usually destroyed after being administered euthanasing gas, usually from the exhaust pipe of a car while the engine is cold.

But RSPCA inspector Matt French said he believed only pest-control companies should destroy the birds.

“If you catch a Indian myna bird, you shouldn’t take euthanasing into your own hands,” Mr French said.

“If people connect a tube to the exhaust pipe of a car, depending on the make, model and age of the car there could be an uncontrollable mixture of gases.

“If the engine is hot, the birds’ lungs can be burned and scalded.

“Obviously, they’re not a native bird and many people find them a pest, but there’s no justification for people to take matters into their own hands.

“Regardless of a personal opinion on these birds, the damage they do or the noise they make, they’re still animals that deserve to be treated with respect.”

Thanks to feral thoughts for the tip;

A resident of the town of Orange is speaking out for the much maligned Myna bird.

A proposal to cull local myna bird populations goes against the natural pecking order for one Orange resident. After working with wildlife in Africa and Canada for several years, Terese Kerr says she’s learned human intervention is not the answer even if a species is considered a predator.

“I just believe it’s wrong to kill off any bird, even if you believe it’s a pest,” she said.“I’m anti-hunting and I’ve seen the impact those sorts of things can have.”
…….
Mrs Kerr said it was wrong to refer to certain species as “bullies” when they were simply trying to survive. She said she welcomed all birdlife into her own garden and wouldn’t consider feeding certain species and not others.

“There’s a pecking order, human beings can’t come in and say I don’t want this bird bullying another bird,” she said.

Nativism, or the human preference for one species of animal over another, is a dangerous game of whimsy that is often followed up with inhumane acts of abuse in the name of ‘conservation’.

A fox can be baited with a Sodium fluoroacetate (1080) and die a death of abdominal pain, sweating, confusion and convulsions. But if I fed poison deliberately to a domestic dog I’d be prosecuted under Australian animal protection law. If a cat is living without an owner, it can be trapped and shot with a rifle by local council agents. However, if I was to shoot my own pet cat, I could expect to spend some time in court. And when myna-haters trap and kill birds they do so in ways we wouldn’t accept for other animals and with no veterinary supervision or input whatsoever;

Once in the trap, the myna-catchers favourite topic comes up. Dispatch. No more controversial topic exists in the world of the myna-hater. The favoured method is exhaust gas from the car. No diesels or hybrids mind you, and do it off a cold engine before the catalytic converter kicks in. Pop the cage in a compost bag and shove a tube from the exhaust to the bag and it’s all over in a matter of seconds. The technique hasn’t quite gained the blessing of all the authorities as yet but the myna actioners aren’t going to wait for some soft bureaucrats to get their act together. ref

To further complicate the idea of the worthy-native and the un-worthy introduced animal, is the native who refuses to play nice. In Western Australia, rainbow lorikeets (an eastern states bird who found success in the west) are culled because they’re in competition with slightly more local bird species.

A rat plague of more than two hundred thousand animals that hit Queensland in December last year, caused havoc by upsetting the ‘natural balance’, with the rats stripping vegetation and breeding furiously… but didn’t rate much of a mention because they were a long-haired, native type. However, when a UK celebrity reality show visited Australia, and the participants killed an (introduced) rat and ate it, it caused a stir around the world and the production team was prosecuted by our RSPCA.

Australians value animal welfare regardless of species and seeing an animal killed for arbitrary reasons, or in an inhumane way goes against what the community stand for.

The science of biological xenophobia is finding it harder and harder to continue to carve its place in a modern compassionate society. While it used to be quite fashionable to be ‘anti-introduced animals’, people are starting to realise that trying to use culling as a way to turn back the ‘ecological clock’ to a time before human inhabitation, without actually removing the humans is not only futile, but unethical.

The ultimate goal of the environmental movement is to create a peaceful and harmonious relationship between humans and the environment. To be authentic, this goal must include respect for other species. Tragically, given its alarming embrace of Invasion Biology, the environmental movement has violated this ethic by targeting species for eradication because their existence conflicts with the world as some people would like it to be. And in championing such views, the movement paradoxically must support the use of traps, poisons, fire, and hunting, all of which cause great harm, suffering, and environmental degradation. ref

We must move beyond a place where we arbitrarily deem one animal more ‘worthy’ of life than another, for no reason other than we’d prefer nature to be fair and reasonable. She isn’t and never has been.

I recommend this fantastic piece of writing from Dr Marty Becker; when insight into animal suffering lends itself to compassion for even the ‘lowly’ mouse.

I think we’ve all been there.

*gargh* First ever. [looks through fingers] I can’t watch….

I’m getting married on Wednesday, so am logging off until the new year. Happy xmas to you, your family and all of your furkids!

Thanks to Harry for the tip. From the Herald Sun…

Buckley’s got a cute, new mate – his very own Buckley soft toy.

The stuffed toys are an almost perfect replica of the maimed pup, right down to his hacked ears and stumpy tail.

See others in the ‘ultra real LDH pound pets’ including a dead cat beanie baby (foster carers need not apply), 

and the shy-dog, catchpole and euthanasia play kit (makes a great xmas gift for the outdated shelter manager who has everything).

I’m joking obviously. No one pays as much attention to a dead pet as a cute, mutilated one.

And sadly for the others who aren’t Lost Dogs Home pinups, not all pets are as valuable as Buckley.

……..
Edited to add comment from a co-worker:
Perhaps we should create the convulsing dog as a replica of the pooch that died in the back of a ranger’s van last year.

Yes, we should get right on that…

As the owner of three long haired dogs, I’m blessed with dog hair tumbleweeds (of a size which could trip an elderly relative) rolling across my floor and collecting in corners, under sofas and in shoes (what’s that about?).

In an effort to reduce this during our spring ‘coat blowing’ season, my guys get an annual haircut done by yours truly (with dog wrangling assistance from dear husband). Cisco the golden gets just his fluffy bits trimmed, while Sophie and Ajax the two cavaliers get a full clipper and foot trim. The end result are three dogs I’m embarrassed to be seen with (yes, the dog groomer did look like he was on drugs… thanks for commenting!) and a lovely big wad of soft, itchy dog hair.

This year I stuffed it in an old orange bag and hung it in a tree. The birds have been helping themselves (check out all the little stray hairs pulled through the bag) and bunches of tiny little birds keep coming back which is sweet.

I know it’s strange, but it makes me happy to know that around the neighbourhood, the bird’s nests are lined with Cisco’s butt hair.

While it’s easy to demonstrate a pound model that isn’t working (see yesterday’s post), I’d like to take the time to investigate a model that does work for comparison. As they say, you can’t argue with results.

Below an image that represents the City of Calgary in Canada’s intake/return/rehome rate for dogs (click to download .pdf)

Calgary has a 90-95% dog licensing compliance rate (most of the Victorian councils examined yesterday sit around 50-60%) and 94% of the cats and dogs who enter their system come out alive. They also saw in 2008, the lowest number of aggressive dog incidents they’ve had in over 25 years.

So just how do they do it? Breed bans? Pet limit laws? Compulsory desexing?

None of the above.

As live blogged by Pet Connection at the No More Homeless Pets Conference:

Calgary Animal Control Director Bill Bruce: Understand we are dealing with a community problem that will take the collaborative resources of the community to solve.

First thing we did is boil down 4 principles of responsible pet ownership:

- License and provide permanent ID. Return to owner without even going to shelter; ride home.

- Increase spay/neuter (desexing) but do not mandate it.

- Training, physical care, socialization, medical care.

- Do not allow pet to become threat or nuisance.

Our feeling was that if we could have this, we’d be by definition a responsible pet owner community.
………….
What’s working in Calgary:

- Marketing. Educate and market.

- Partnerships; working together. Money devoted to fighting should go to animals. May need to bring in outside mediator. I found some of conflict was around things that happened 25 years ago. The people who had that fight are dead. Let’s move on.

- Remove barriers to responsible pet owners. Mandatory spay/neuter is a barrier. Does not take us down path of no more homeless animals. It’s the wrong thing to do. Pet limits the same you end up alienating your most responsible pet owners, and decrease licensing. What is the problem you’re trying to solve, and how will this solve it? What problem will pet limits solve? No one can ever tell me. 93 percent of my dog owners have their dogs licensed. MSN also turns my responsible pet owners against me, interferes with licensing. People don’t like to do what they’re told to do it’s human nature. Make it clear to them the value of doing it, why it’s a good idea.

- Education, school programs.

- Drive-home program. Great licensing program, on board computers connected to central computer, looks up dog’s tag or chip, up comes info, gets on cell phone, calls you: I’ve got Buddy in my truck before most people realize the dog is gone. Over 30 percent go straight home, never go to the shelter.

- Clear, well-understood rules. Enforcement is your last step, not your first one.

- Licensing program; $5 million a year, don’t need tax dollars, don’t have to beg for money. Own revenue source, and community knows their money goes to help animals, so high compliance. License cats. People asked, where will money go? He said, free spay neuter. Public found out every penny would go to help cats. Also, wanted their cats to come back as quickly as possible. Saw value. Audience asked if this only works because they’re Canadian? Why isn’t this working in Los Angeles? He said Canadians are obstinate, will not be pushed even if polite. People comply when they feel CONSULTED and SEE THE VALUE, like the driving home. If dog or cat is hit by car in Calgary, vet will just start working on it because he knows animal control will pay the first $500 at least, doesn’t even have to ask, vet will never get stuck with the bill. If you know you’re investing in a Cadillac program like that, that will help your dog and your cat. 82 percent of cats are saved, 94 percent of dogs.

……….
If I impound an animal, that animal’s picture is on our website in 15 minutes.

We DO NOT charge fees to rescues to take dogs and cats.

Just amazing! Imagine having council animal services that recognise that people really do value their pets and act as a support network to help pets and their owners, rather than thinking up new ways to punish their communities.

So just how does one get a program like this off the ground?

From my ongoing favourite, KC Dog blog:

Calgary has a 90-95% dog licensing compliance rate. Calgary has done this by providing benefits to people for licensing their dogs….for animal control being a SERVICE instead of a pain in people’s butts.

Overall, they have about 95,000 licensed dogs (in a city with the population of about 1 million).  Licensing fees are $31 per year ($52 for an unaltered dog).

In 1990 they raised the fines for getting caught with an unlicensed dog from $30 to $250 – -Bruce said that fines should generally run about 10x the cost of actually obeying the law in the first place in order to encourage compliance with the law.  They also made it very easy to license your dog — online, via phone, at your vets office, and keosks at the animal control office, etc.

Every dollar that they raise from animal licensing (and fines for non-compliance) go back into funding animal control — not back into the city’s slush fund.  So with an operating budget of $3.5-4.0 million, they are able to really do some things right with their animal control department.

They strongly encourage all people who license their dogs to also have them microchipped (which allows the dogs to be scanned and the owner determined immediately).  Every animal control vehicle is equipped with a scanner — so if they find a stray dog, the animal control officer can instantly scan the dog for the chip, and deliver the dog home free of charge (although there are fines if your dog becomes a frequent flyer).

This home delivery a) is a service for people who obey the rules and b) saves money in animal control costs because stray dogs seldom even make it to their shelter.  They are returned home where the dog belongs. The city then doesn’t incur the costs of putting the dog in the shelter, maintaining the dog while it’s in the shelter, food etc. Bruce’s goal for next year is to get 50% of the dogs returned directly home without ever reaching the shelter.

If a dog does end up making it to the shelter, its photo is taken immediately and placed on their webpage within 15 minutes of the dog reaching the shelter.  All the dogs in the shelter are treated for the basic diseases – -and if a dog is found injured, animal control will take the dog to a vet. The vets treat the dogs because a) animal control is usually able to find the owner of the dog because they’re all licensed and b) if they don’t, animal control will cover the medical costs associated with treating that dog.  Wow.

Calgary built a new shelter for their animals about 5-8 years ago that is state of the art…and has never been filled to its capacity.

Calgary also focuses a lot of its energies on education and encouraging responsible dog ownership.  They have a full time staff member, that is trained in education, that puts together a public education program.  They have six specific programs that are part fof their public school’s curriculum that emphasizes respect for living things.

Calgary also has 140 dedicated off-leash areas for dogs — so that’s 140 “dog parks”.

……….

The net results of their efforts have been impressive.  Over the past 18 years, the city of Calgary has cut their number of dog bites and chases by more than 50% (all the while, the human and dog population of Calgary has doubled).  Last year calgary only had to euthenize 256 animals.  Almost all of the euthanizations came from dogs that had behavioral or health issues.  Bruce estimates that Calgary will become a true no-kill city within the next 3-5 years.

If you go back to that first slide, you’ll see that Calgary cared for just shy of 5,000 dogs. This would be comparable to any shelter in a large city of Australia. And they’re on the path to No Kill without mandatory desexing, microchipping, the banning of pit bulls (in fact, the population of pit bulls in Calgary has been increasing) and without pet limit laws. They did it by making people see the value in the service they are providing and then, in return providing good service. In fact, Calgary’s Annual Citizen Satisfaction Survey results show that over 91% of residents rated Animal Services as “good” or “very good.”(ref)

Calgary Holds Reckless Owners, Not Dogs, Responsible

“Everything goes back to responsible pet ownership,” says Bill Bruce, Director of Animal Bylaw Services in Calgary. In 2006 his team incorporated the bylaw which holds owners responsible for their dog’s behavior.

Bruce says there are four things that are absolutely essential to lowering dog bites:

1. Licensing and permanent pet ID.
2. Easily accessible spay/neuter programs.
3. Training, socialization, grooming and food; basic needs for a dog to feel safe and comfortable.
4. Proper supervision to prevent a pet becoming a nuisance in the community.

Calgary law has a provision that prohibits leaving a dog unattended. An unattended dog tied to a sign or bicycle rack can become scared and bite out of fear. Also, dogs are never allowed to be chained or tethered outside the house unless someone is home. The city doesn’t treat dog bites lightly a minor bite is a $350 fine and a serious offense is $1,500.
…

The city of Calgary organizes many public speaking programs to teach owners about their pets. These programs address how to properly socialize a dog and understand dog behaviors and needs.

Bruce says they spend a lot of time trying to understand animals. If a dog bites, for example, the team goes into the house and asks questions such as: Where did the dog come from? Are there children in the house? Where are the dog’s parents? What are the dog’s triggers?

Investigators even give the dog a medical exam to make sure it isn’t suffering from an underlying health problem. In addition, investigators will visit another home in the area with the same breed that hasn’t bitten and thoroughly investigate what that owner is doing right. Again, as Bruce says, it all comes down to responsible pet ownership. Incidentally, Bruce notes that one of their top biters is border collies and not ‘bully breeds’.

This type of investigation certainly entails high costs, but Bruce says those are all taken care of through licensing. Dog owners pay licensing fees (slightly higher rates for unaltered dogs) and those fees go toward the cost for the humane education and other services.

….

We take dog aggression very seriously, train postal workers, don’t let people tether dogs in city, heavy-handed on fines when owners let dangerous dogs out, fines in excess of 10K. But we don’t wait until the dog bites. It starts with lesser behavior. We have ordinance against teasing a dog. Someone calls, send officer to sit in backyard, catches kids, fines them and/or parents.
ref

…

“”We want to look at everything that led up to an aggressive dog attack,” said Bruce. “We’re hoping to find four to six common things that people do that causes dogs to bite. Our goal is not to have anyone bitten by a dog.”
ref

The Calgary example goes to show what can happen when a community is serious and diligent about safety instead of reactionary like so many of the organisations driving legislation here in Australia. When the community hold dog owners accountable for the management and care for their dogs, and animal services work with the pet lovers, rather than against them, a safe, humane community is the result.

Saving lives in the ACT

RSPCA ACT has used Facebook to blast for foster carers ahead of kitten season (smart! smart! smart!)

Do you want to help save lives?

We are gearing up for summer: We are on the look out for people wanting to help us with our kitten foster care program. We fill up pretty quickly and to have homes in our community for four to six weeks means we save more lives. We supply pretty much everything, you supply the love and socialisation. Give us a call on 6287 8100 and ask about our kitten foster care program.

Strolling along the lines of kennels at my shelter, the same dogs appear over and over. Young, friendly, happy and healthy they have their whole lives in front of them… except they don’t. These guys are the least likely to find a rescue and the most likely to wind up as rendered fertiliser.

Unlike many in my industry, I’m not anti-dog breeding. There will always be a market for nice looking dogs with a great temperament and a history of healthy relatives. What isn’t selling are the plain, common, fugly and the ‘unknown quantity’. And those dogs are unfortunately being bred by someone.

So in this world of politics, purebred vs cross bred bickering and anti-breeder sentiment how can you avoid breeding next year’s shelter dog?

Will your pups sell for less than $500?

Are people actually buying what you’re selling, consistently and for $500 or more? In today’s market the answer is very often, no. A quick look amongst the puppy farmer hangouts – petlink, gumtree or trading post will tell you pretty quickly the going rate for any dog you’re about to bring into the world.

Cavalier x Jack Russell Puppies
I have available 1 Male and 2 x Female Cavalier x Jack Russell puppies. These puppies have lovely temperaments and would are ideal for children and adults alike. They have been wormed, vaccinated and microchipped and come with a puppy owners guide, sample of food and information regarding caring for, raising and training. These puppies are well socialised and get along with all other dogs and cats. We can frieght. $200.00 each.

Shitzu x Miniature Poodle (Shoodles), Non Shedding
Shitzu mum x miniature poodle dad. Non shedding gorgeous fluffy pups, currently 3 white and apricot boys and 1 black boy left. Ready to go early November. $350.

Cattle x Border collie pups
Currently 4 weeks old but will be ready for sale in two weeks…. these gorgeous stumpy-tailed cattle x bordercollie pups are friendly and very lively. there are 4 male and 4 female pups available. the mother and father are also available for viewing, they both have lovely temperaments. all pups un-vaccinated or chipped although they are all very healthy! there is a great range of colours and patterns to choose from as well as having a mix of stumpy-tailed and non-stumpy tailed pups. price is $270

Lab x Kelpie puppies
Kelpie X Black Lab Puppies 7 weeks old. Gorgeous looking puppies- looking more labby. Mother Kelpie- GREAT family dog, loves fetch. Father- Black Labby- Excellent guard dog, great family dog, loves fetch with sticks. Lots of energy. 1 Choc Brown Male $250. 2 black $150 (mixed sexes).

Dogs that are sold cheap, often aren’t valued by their new owners and once in rescue, aren’t rehomed because they have no perceived value to potential adopters. If you’re serious about breeding animals who won’t go straight in to the bin (literally) spend some time on PetRescue scoping out what kinds of dogs are showing up in rescue and breed away from those.

If your dog isn’t a ‘breed’, but a kelpie, staffy, labby mixxy; or a shitzy, little white fluffy, then know that they are as common as chalk and a shelter intake staple. No one wants them, and even if they do, they won’t pay much for them because there’s dozens in every Sunday paper and more still going cheap in the pound.

Is your dog desirable?

It’s easy to breed dogs. Much harder is to breed dogs people actually want. And really, really hard is to breed dogs people will want to keep for a lifetime. According to a survey of pet owners conducted by Pauleen C. Bennett;

Australian owners want dogs that are medium sized, short haired, acquired as a puppy, desexed, safe with children, fully housetrained and healthy. They also want their ideal dog to come when called, not to escape from the property, to enjoy being petted and to display affection to its owners. When participants were asked to list the characteristics they considered to be MOST important the most common responses included friendly, obedient, affectionate and healthy.

Undesirable behaviours fell into five factors: disobedience, unfriendliness, nervousness, destructiveness and excitability.

Many other dogs are relinquished because of canine behaviours, such as boisterousness, hyperactivity and aggression, which owners are unable to tolerate. Not all dogs are created equal. Some suit the requirements of modern owners more than others.

Read that again; Should be: medium sized, short haired, safe with children, fully housetrained, comes when called, displays affection, friendly, obedient and healthy. Shouldn’t escape, be nervous, boisterous, hyper, excitable or destructive

The dog you are breeding from should have all of these positive characteristics in spades and none of the ones that drive people crazy. Separation anxiety is hereditary. Dog aggression is hereditary. Digging and chewing like a maniac is hereditary. Barking all day long is hereditary. Being spooky of strangers, nippy or growly and inclined to chase and kill the neighbours cat or herd the kids is hereditary. Your dog needs to be literally perfect before you chose to bring more of him into a world where even being ‘a very good dog’ doesn’t cut it.

The overwhelming majority of families aren’t looking for a high energy and exercise requirements in their dog, so herding breeds, hounds and terriers are often dumped for being unmanageable. And the chances of even a young working breed finding a home the second time around are close to nil; you may as well be breeding pups and shoveling them straight into landfill.

(If you really think you’re breeding the next ‘dog sport champion’ from your backyard kelpie you’re sadly mistaken. People who do dog sports and obedience tend to make considered pet choices so look to breeders who are providing a long history of proven performance dogs. They do not want your fugly pups.)

If your bitch is not the canine equivalent to Mother Teresa, bomb proof and faultlessly friendly, then you need to desex her. Now. Make the same assessment of any father you’re planning to use; he gets a half say in how these pups turn out, so needs to be equally perfect to give the pups any chance at a long life.


Big, black dog bounce

Big, black dogs are available by the truckload, literally. Truckloads of them are shipped to kill shelters because no one wants them. There’s much less buffer with a ‘big, scary’ dog, which means they absolutely have to be brought up right to live in modern society. A bad mannered toy breed will likely stay in his home as long as he isn’t dangerous; a forty-seven kilo, bouncing adolescent with no manners, a hard head and slobbery chops will not be given the same allowances.

Even the nicest big black dogs scare other dog owners, so they’re much harder to socialise and integrate. And without those ‘pluses’ to dog ownership like relaxing walks and dog park outings, these giant goofballs are rapidly demoted to backyard dogs, to be given up at the first excuse.

If you’re breeding big black dogs, you should do so fully in the knowledge that you’ve set this animal up with characteristics that will likely shorten his life to a sad couple of years.

Is your dog fugly?

I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen a show quality dog in rescue; and guess what? PEOPLE WANTED IT. What they don’t want is Labradors that look like kelpies, buck toothed shitzu’s, any of the thousands of identical ‘little brindle’ staffies, the little white dogs with bent legs and bung knees or the white bullie things with perpetually sun blistered ears and noses. Not the mention the thin faced rotties, jack russell terror mixes or anything with ‘mastiff’ or ’shepherd’ in the cross.

Stop breeding these plain looking dogs that no one wants!


Unless you have something to actually contribute to dog kind, please don’t breed!

It’s easy for people who breed their pet to blame ‘irresponsible owners’ for pet abandonment, and wipe their hands of any responsibility after sale. But with shelter killing the leading cause of death in young, healthy dogs in Australia, there are so, so, so many dogs that aren’t going to get a chance to live a long, loved life with a family. Deliberately setting up a litter of puppies with lifetime handicaps and undesirable characteristics like those listed above, means you are equally responsible for these dog’s short, wasted lives.